Researchers from the University of Glasgow, have found that microscopic holes allow the light to escape, greatly improving the efficiency of the product for use as a light source.

Light emitting diode, or LED, lights have long been thought to be the next generation of lighting possibilities. These tiny lights use less power than the compact fluorescent lights now being adopted. The main drawback to using LEDs has been the fact that although the lights glow brightly, the actual light they produce is quite low because much of the light gets trapped in the housing of the product.

However, researchers, led by Faiz Rahman, Ph.D., from the University of Glasgow, believe they have a solution. They found that microscopic holes allow the light to escape, greatly improving the efficiency of the product for use as a light source. At the moment, the process of producing housings with holes is too time consuming and expensive but they believe they will have the problems solved in just a few years.

Another factor driving the desire to develop the LED light source is the fact that all fluorescent light sources contain small amounts of mercury, which can be released to the environment if not properly disposed.